How Good Is This Forum??

[Redbuzz]

Over the next week, www.firearmbuzz.com will be evaluating the most popular gun forums on the Web. Using feedback from forum participants we will publish an official review of the top sites.

We need your feedback. What’s great about the Firingline forum? Where could it be improved? How would you describe the site – e.g., focus, member attitudes, responsiveness, etc.? Please post your response!

I’ll let you know when the review is completed and available on www.firearmbuzz.com!

Thanks.

[Redbuzz]

After 7+ hours, the Firingline does not respond!

I have sent this same message out to 8 prime forums and I am getting many, many responses. What is going on here??????

[gifted]

People are more interested in talking guns?

[Jamie Young]

We're homely people.

I don't like clicking on other websites when I'm reading this forum and I don't like it when people call me on the phone.

[thumbtack]

......

[croyance]

Not to be contrary to your goals, but I prefer that people form an opinion by reading posts for themselves, and hopefully participating.
Also, in many ways you are asking us to do your work for you. Any responses would be potentially be devoid of objectiveness, especially in member attitudes.
My city finally has good weather, and my afternoon/evening wasn't devoted to forums.
Don't try to put me on the defensive.
I find that at the moment, TFL needs more members (returning or new) after its prolonged hiatus.

[johnbt]

Yeah, but spring and summer are traditionally slow times on gun/hunting/fishing/etc. forums. They always pick up when the weather cools. Of course, then deer season hits.

John

[Tamara]

Yeah, but spring and summer are traditionally slow times on gun/hunting/fishing/etc. forums.

Not to mention traditionally slow times in gun stores. I'm gonna have lots of free time on my hands to surf the internet during the summer, 'til business starts picking up again in the pre-AWB hysteria of late August. Last hired, first laid off, dont'cha know.

[Hi-Power Hobbit]

Tamara,
I kinda like hanging out in AIR CONDITIONED gun stores during the summer. If you've got that much time on your hands, come on down to Georgia for some steamy hog hunting. Gonna try to set one up with Byron and John.

Redbuzz, Surf the site and learn on your own why this is a great RKBA forum.

Regards,

Doug

[fix]

What is going on here??????

With all due repect, if you have to ask that question about this forum...then you haven't been around the online firearms community long enough to evaluate any forum...much less a legendary one such as this. What is going on here is that you are being largely ignored, mainly because (as croyance stated) you are asking us to do your work for you rather than actually reading the content and actually evaluating the site which was your original stated objective.

[Rich Lucibella]

Response to be found in my Signature Line.

Tams-
On vacation again, huh?
Rich

[Kaboom]

This forum is about questions and answers. If it is firearms related somebody will have the answer to any question or know where to point to find the answer. There is very little in the way of mine is bigger and better than yours here. A person would almost think this place was populated by mature courteous adults here.

[Quartus]

Well, I was going to ask who you are and why you think we should care, but I went to your site and found the answer.

You are a money making venture (nothing wrong with that) and you want hits on your site to drive up its value to advertisers.


Okay. Fine. I'll pass.

[Redbuzz]

Quartus -- I only wish I was making money...unfortunately not with Firearmbuzz. I've hooked up with a few of the classic advertisors everyone else associates with, but it doesn't improve the site's credibility! I may just drop that from the site if it makes the reviews more reliable to the reader.

Actually, I got into this because of an interest in civil war carbines...went to the net and spent many fruitless hours trying to find out about Burnside Carbines. Do you have a favorite source for info on 1850's guns?

I hope reviewing the gun forums will help gun enthusiasts find a good place to go and ask questions and share their thoughts with other like-minded folks.

[Rich Lucibella]

Ouart-
I'm starting to think you're a closet socialist! Just kidding.

Redbuzz-
Good luck with the venture. Suggest you test Harley Nolden's knowledge of these venerable relics. See the Forum, Harley Nolden's Institute....
Rich

[Redondo]

My primary reasons I like it, is because I'm not constantly being asked poll questions, or what my opinion is about this or that.

[Ben Swenson]

How do you plan on rating the forums? By the number of responses to these threads? By the strength of the opinions you get? I guess I just don't see how any such poll so conducted would be of any value.

TFL was the first firearms forum I started coming to regularly. I first signed up for AR15.com, but didn't like the atmosphere. I've since joined THR and TFR (two offshoots of TFL after it closed down). In these three places, I find the most polite, knowledgable and interesting people around. So I stay. Does that answer your question?

[Quartus]

Ouart-
I'm starting to think you're a closet socialist! Just kidding.

Why, Rich? Because I said there's nothing wrong with making a profit?


Oh, am I confused!

[Redbuzz]

I've started this thread on 10 forums now and you are the first to ask the most important question!! Thank you.

At this point in time I can't give you a simple reply -- but let me give you a first cut on what I am hearing:

1) Some sites are friendly...all the way to aggressively hostile
2) Some forums are free and fun and some are dominated by moderators and/or a small group of leaders who decide if you can get involved
3) Size makes a difference -- do you want immediate response? -- only happens if the forum has lots of members
4) Is the forum specialized -- e.g. a certain firearm -- or specialized area like gunsmithing -- and, is the expertise there?
5) Does the forum offer a "for sale" forum, etc. -- in other words, what's missing that the forum members want
6) Least important -- are there technical difficulties that need to be fixed.

I suspect over the next 5 days I will hear much more -- but, that it is what this is all about.

[SXSMAN]

I post here little , bin around a day or two and post elsewhere also . I never learned a thing when I was talking .Good folks and knowledge about firearms .Two thumbs up . SxS

[JohnK]

How did you pick the 10 forums you're asking the question on? TFL and THR are two must haves as they likely have more people posting than any other forums. But where did you get the other 8? There are hundreds if not thousands of forums, along with the news group rec.guns which has been around longer than any web forum. Did you post your question there as well? There's also the news group talk.politics.guns which has also been around longer than web forums. Expect many flames along with positive responses if you post your question there.

rec.guns
talk.politics.guns

[Redondo]

I won't look forward to YOUR opinion about OUR opinions. Sorry, I could care less how you view me, and other members, on various gun boards. If I thought this was a serious effort, I might. I don't. Fish elsewhere.

[Abominable No-Man]

Aw, come on guys.

Redbuzz is just asking what you like about TFL. No worse than someone moving to your town and asking you what you like about living there. No need to be snotty.

There's a wide base of knowledge here. It isn't dedicated to a specific system or platform, but if you have a question you can typically run across someone who will know the answer, and you may even learn more than you intended.

It has been a little slow lately, but like has been said, it's summer (I'm finally going on vacation, too ). I don't think there is too much that could honestly be improved. TFL may not have every single feature that everyone could want, but it's a very good board. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 9 !

[OBIWAN]

I ALWAYS have an opinion..much to my dismay

Forums, by nature, have to strike a balance between the open exchange of ideas and maintaining order.

(Kind of like a meeting....let everyone have their say but don't let them shout over one another)

There are members with questions...members with knowledge to share...and members that only have opinions/comments to make on other posts....

And there are, unfortunately, trolls...who get their entertainment by fostering dissent.

Allow too much latitude and things can get out of hand quickly...pretty soon nobody wants to post only to be attacked or have their thread hijacked by someone elses agenda.

God Bless the Moderators! (we should double their pay)

Some boards exhibit a simple....authoritarian approach to bad manners...you play nice or you are gone....quickly.

Some are very lenient...they have rules but enforcement is simply not a priority.

And the rest fall somewhere in between.

So the answer to your question is very subjective.

TFL does a very good job at that balance...IMO

[Quartus]

I ALWAYS have an opinion..much to my dismay

Your dismay?